


And Then There Were Four

by Sillus



Series: Nice to meet... me? [2]
Category: Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda) - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: First Meetings, Four is so Done, How Do I Tag, Hyrule is still a good boy, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Magic, Major Injury, Minor Injuries, Protective Legend, That moment when the people, Twilight is snarky, Wild is mentioned, Wolf Link (Legend of Zelda), cursing, it’s a series now!!, like seriously he'll cut a bitch, not graphic but theyre there, suddenly do their jobs RIGHT when you don’t want them to, this one got really long, who don’t do their jobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-27 21:15:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19797910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sillus/pseuds/Sillus
Summary: But afterwards, Twilight is in his Hylian form, supporting himself on his hands and knees and looking up at the gaping kid.“Ow,” Twilight grunts.“You’re a man who can take the shape of a wolf and has weird markings on his body, and all you have to say isow?” The kid yells.“Yup.” A pause. “And I think I’m going to vomit.”Twilight lets out a pained chuckle when the kid releases a long—and impressive—string of curses while scrambling to find a bucket.





	1. Towns Have a Vendetta Against Good Boys

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: There are injuries in this fic.  
> This one wasn’t supposed to happen the way I planned it, but I think it worked out for the better. Though, it _did_ get a little long, which is why it is split into two parts!  
> At least... I hope it’s two parts...  
> Enjoy!!

Twilight doesn’t know why the universe likes to teleport him around so much. Is it a side effect of using the Shadow Crystal too much? Or is it Hylia carting him around different worlds? Either way, every time he teleports, Twilight not only gets a nasty headache, but gets roped into something weird.

  
The last thing he remembers is accompanying Link—affectionately referred to as Cub or Wild Child—to Rito Village in his Hylian form, when a shadow appeared and lunged at Twilight before either of them could react.

  
Now, Twilight is slowly waking up, the pounding headache persisting. He goes to put a hand to his head when his arm does not move the way he wants it to.

  
Wolf form, then.

  
It looks like there are buildings around him, and that it may be sundown, but his vision is so hazy Twilight cannot be sure. Muffled noises reach his ears as Twilight pushes himself to his feet. Is he in a town? He thinks he can hear voices, so that may be the case—unfortunately. He shakes his head and hears loud exclamations in response.

  
_Shit, this is a town._

  
Not good. Not good at all. Twilight flattens his ears against his head and crouches low to the ground in the hopes that making himself smaller will make him seem less threatening. His eyes dart around, searching for any exits. Instead, he finds soldiers pouring into the square—of course he is in the middle of a town, _of course_ —and surrounding him with pointy spears. Twilight immediately rules out Castle Town back in his native Hyrule. There is no way these soldiers are from his home, the best evidence of this being the fact that they are doing their damn jobs.

  
Twilight takes a cautious step forward and the soldiers in front begin shouting, their poses becoming aggressive and spears aiming in his direction. He lets out a low growl but stays put. They have him trapped, and Twilight refuses to hurt any of them, for they are just doing their jobs. An opportunity to escape will come, he just has to be patient.

  
“What should we do with it, sir?” One of the soldiers ask from behind him.

  
“I’m not sure,” Another replies, presumably the captain of this squad. “Animal control?”

  
“Do we even have animal control?” Another soldier mutters. “And is that a shackle on its leg?”

  
The rest of the soldiers begin murmuring among themselves, and Twilight would have leveled them with an unimpressed glare had he been in his other form—the wolf form never got it the way Twilight wanted it to. _So much for these soldiers being impressive_ , he thinks.

  
“Is that a doggy?” a high-pitched voice yells, overly excited. Twilight winces. He is _not_ a “doggy”, thank you very much.

  
“Kysis, don’t go near it!” another voice scolds. “It is very dangerous!”

  
But the child does not listen. She slips right through the guards’ formation, ducking under their arms as they try to grab her, and waddles right up to him. Everyone freezes, and Twilight can see the way their shoulders are tense, weapons raised high in anticipation.

  
“Kysis!” The other voice—Twilight assumes it is the mother—cries.

  
Kysis giggles, reaching out a hand to pat his head. Twilight huffs, but begrudgingly lets her, ducking a little so he is easier to reach. See? Not a threat. Will they let him go now? He is allowing a child no older than six pat him. Aggressive wolves don’t do that!

  
The soldiers are stunned, shoulders drooping and weapons lowering. Their formation loses its effectiveness as they stare at one another. There’s that opportunity.

  
Twilight darts around Kysis, who shrieks in surprise, and launches himself at the guards. They scramble to get back into formation, but Twilight is too fast. He bowls over one of the guards and breaks the formation entirely, sprinting away as the guards begin to bark orders and give chase. People scream and throw themselves out of his way, grabbing their children and cowering in an attempt to hide from him. Twilight weaves around the various stalls, eyes locked on a bridge with a path below it. _Please be an exit, please be an exit!_

  
Pain explodes in his shoulder, and Twilight stumbles over his feet with a yelp. An arrow is lodged under his skin, making his leg protest with every movement. A spear slices his side open as it lands in the ground beside him.

  
_Assholes!_

  
Twilight swerves to avoid the second spear and it lands right where he would have been had he not changed course. Another arrow embeds itself in his other side, causing Twilight to lose his balance and fall.

  
But as he is scrambling to his feet, he finally spots an exit. Twilight ignores the pain in favor of charging the open gates. Arrows whistle past him, nicking his sides and legs as they go. The guards are catching up, the shouting and clanging armor growing louder and louder.

  
Twilight flies past the gates and the soldiers stop chasing him. He can hear them cheering, but Twilight doesn’t stop running. If they decide to keep pursuing him, then he would need to find a decent hiding spot to treat his wounds.

  
Twilight doesn’t run for much longer, much to his displeasure. His legs give out just a few yards away from a lone house—possibly the worst place for his body to fail. He tries to stand up once more, but the adrenaline is beginning to wear off, causing him to whine when his wounds are jostled. _I’ve dealt with worse before! Why am I so tired now? It doesn’t make any sense!_

  
He knows he should be angry with the guards for his wounds, but Twilight should also be angry with himself for thinking he could get away unscathed. The Hero’s Shade must be rolling in his grave right now.

  
Traveling with Link has made him a little too carefree.

  
Twilight bites back his whines and forces himself to his feet. These injuries should not be as big of a problem as they currently are. He staggers a few steps, but his wobbling legs and throbbing wounds sap his remaining strength away. He collapses onto his side, yelping when he lands on the gash, and knows he will not be standing up again for a while.

  
_Dammit._

  
He hears a door open and close. Light footsteps draw closer as what is undoubtedly a person makes their way toward him. Twilight sighs, going limp. The grass grows brighter under the light of a lantern, giving Twilight a clear view of the person approaching him.

  
Well, more like kid. The person is _tiny_ , holding the lantern high and carefully sweeping his gaze around the area. His eyes land on Twilight and he gasps.  
“A wolf?” He murmurs, lowering the lantern to get a better look. When Twilight doesn’t move, the kid creeps over to him, slowly setting the lantern down when he gets close enough and crouching. Twilight tries to growl at him, hoping to scare the kid off before any more damage was done, but it comes out more like a whimper.

  
“Hey, I won’t hurt you,” The kid says. He takes a good look at Twilight and hisses in sympathy when he spots the wounds. “They really did a number on you, huh?” He stands up, wringing his hands and rocking on his heels.

  
“We can’t treat him out here,” He says. “Think we could get him inside?”

  
Who is he talking to?

  
The kid waits a moment before nodding to himself, seemingly satisfied with… something? Twilight is starting to worry for his sanity as the kid picks his lantern back up.

  
Who’s sanity is he referring to? Yes.

  
“Wait here,” the kid says, and Twilight would have snorted if he had the strength to. Like he was going to move. “I’ll be right back.”

  
With that, the kid runs to the house. Twilight hears the door open once more, a loud clatter, and a curse. He is not awake when four kids return to his side with a makeshift stretcher.

* * *

  
Green drops the stretcher on the ground beside the wolf, alarmed. The wolf’s eyes aren’t open, and his breathing is light and shallow.  
“Hurry up, guys!” Green yells, crouching beside the wolf once more. Red joins him.  
“Oh no!” He wails. “Is he going to be okay?”  
“If we can get him inside, he will be.” Vio adjusts the stretcher so that it is lying parallel to the wolf. “Blue, come help us lift him up!”  
Blue stumbles out of the house, glaring daggers at Red. “Thank Hylia Gramps isn’t home, because he would be _pissed_ if he saw that mess.”  
“I think you’ve got that covered already,” Vio mutters.  
“It was an accident!” Red protests.  
“That’s not an excuse! Those swords are antiques!” Blue retorts.  
“ _Guys_ ,” Green snaps. “We’ll worry about that later! Now come help me!”  
Red helps Blue hoist the front of the wolf up and into Blue’s arms while Green and Vio life his hindquarters. They awkwardly maneuver the wolf over to the stretcher and try to gently place him down. The wolf whimpers, but does not wake. They each take one end of the poles used in their haphazardly-made-thirty-seconds-ago stretcher and slowly lift. Green holds his breath, hoping the sheet does not rip under the weight of the wolf.  
They all let out a sigh of relief when the sheet holds. Quickly, but carefully, they make their way back to the house. Red nearly sends all of them to the ground when he trips over the swords, but they manage to deposit the wolf in a somewhat clean area.  
“Red, Blue, go find the medical supplies. Green, help me remove the arrows,” Vio orders, and they immediately get to work.

* * *

  
Twilight blinks awake to find himself with less arrows in his body and someone muttering what sounds like curses. He sees the kid from before holding a needle and thread. The thread is only about the length of the kid’s forearm.

  
So more like the length of Twilight’s hand.

  
“Who the hell left this tiny amount of thread in the medicine kit?” The kid mutters, glaring at the object of his annoyance. “This can barely stitch a _paper cut_ together, never mind a gash and two holes!” Twilight raises his head and watches as the kid throws down the needle and thread and grabs the gauze instead. He turns to Twilight and jumps when he sees him staring.

  
“Y’know, not that I’m ungrateful or anything, but I thought you would be more… I dunno… aggressive? Frantic?” The kid approaches him, movements careful but with an ease that speaks of experience. “Then again, you’re not an ordinary wolf, either.”  
Twilight’s ears perk up in interest. The kid snorts.

  
“See? You can even understand what I’m saying. Or at least, I think you can? I’ve never met a wolf as calm as you.”

  
So the kid just takes in other wolves and nurses them back to health? That’s kind of weird. Then again… Twilight does the same, but he grew up around animals. Judging from the smell and what he could see of his surroundings, the kid is some sort of blacksmith. Probably not around animals a lot, but what does Twilight know?

  
“I wish potions worked on your species,” the kid sighs, gaining Twilight’s attention once more. The kid nudges him expectantly, holding the gauze up. Twilight gets the hint and pushes himself to a sitting position. He takes note of the poorly constructed stretcher soaked in blood beneath his feet. “I don’t have any way to stitch those wounds up, and they’re rather deep, so moving around and doing wolf things won’t be happening for you anytime soon. Not without getting the injuries infected.”

  
Twilight growls, irritation bubbling up in his chest. Those guards _did_ do quite a number on him. Twilight cannot be immobile right now, because the Cub needs him. But making his condition worse will only hinder his progress even more.

  
And shifting… shifting is out of the question.

  
“Yeah, I know,” the kid sighs. “You’re kinda stuck right now. It’ll take weeks for these to properly heal.”

  
Okay, so shifting and taking those potions might be his only option at this point.

  
“I don’t even know where to begin,” the kid mutters, trying to get a better look at Twilight. Twilight leans away, earning a light glare from him.

  
“You know I’m trying to help, right?”

  
Twilight nods. The kid gasps.

  
“So you _can_ understand me?”

  
Another nod. The kid laughs.

  
“I know I should probably be freaking out, but that’s really cool. That explains the markings on your head and paw.”

  
Wait, what? On his paw?

  
Twilight’s eyes snap down to look at his left paw, and sure enough, the mark of the Triforce sits there innocently. That should _not_ be there. He gave up the Triforce of Courage after he defeated Ganondorf. He thought it would be safer if it were hidden, and he had planned to not breathe a word of its whereabouts and take the knowledge with him when he eventually dies.

  
But here it is, exactly where it’s _not supposed to be._

  
“And the earrings, I suppose. Why _do_ you have earrings?”

  
Twilight growls again, and the kid rolls his eyes, waving a hand. “Yeah, dumb question. I know you can’t exactly answer me. Now hold still and let me help.”

  
The kid reaches out with the gauze, and Twilight nudges his hand away with his muzzle. The kid huffs, tries again, and is met with the same results.  
“You said you know I’m trying to help!” The kid waves the gauze in his face. “This will help! You are being very difficult for a wolf who understands Hylian speech!”

  
Twilight isn’t even listening to the kid. Instead, he is standing on all fours and, despite the kid’s protests, is inching away from him. Shifting seems to be his only option, and the kid doesn’t appear to be bothered by Twilight not only understanding him, but also having strange markings embroidered in his fur. He seems mellow, which is good for Twilight.  
So, Twilight does not stop to think about the consequences of what he is about to do. Instead, Twilight squeezes his eyes shut and forces the Twilit magic out of his body and back into the Shadow Crystal. Shifting to his Hylian form hurts this time around. His wounds scream as his body rearranges itself, and his lack of energy prolongs the process and makes him nauseous.

  
But afterwards, Twilight is in his Hylian form, supporting himself on his hands and knees and looking up at the gaping kid.

  
“Ow,” Twilight grunts.

  
“You’re a man who can take the shape of a wolf and has weird markings on his body, and all you have to say is _ow?_ ” The kid yells.

  
“Yup.” A pause. “And I think I’m going to vomit.”

  
Twilight lets out a pained chuckle when the kid releases a long—and impressive—string of curses while scrambling to find a bucket.

* * *

  
Twilight is sipping a blue potion while sitting on a table, gauze wrapped around his middle and shoulder. His tunic and the bloodied sheet are soaking in a bucket of water while the kid is cleaning up a pile of swords strewn about on the ground.

  
“Are you some sacred deity or something?” The kid asks, hanging up one of said swords. Twilight barks out a laugh.

  
“Not quite,” is all he says. The kid glances at him.

  
“Care to elaborate?”

  
“Secrets aren’t unlocked until we develop a better relationship.” The kid gives him an unimpressed glare, and Twilight smiles innocently in return. “I don’t make the rules.”

  
“I think I am _more_ than entitled to know, considering that it was me who saved your ass from infected wounds.”

  
He has a point. Twilight concedes. “Well, I’ve definitely been chosen by the Sacred Goddess to do her bidding, but I’m not a deity or anything like that.”

  
“Chosen by the Goddess, huh?” The kid echoes. “I guess that’s why you specifically have the Triforce of Courage? They say only Hylia’s chosen hero gets that privilege.”

  
“I’m really not supposed to have it,” Twilight grumbles, the unspoken _anymore_ floating between them. “It _should_ be with my friend. Speaking of, have you seen an idiot in a blue tunic and a black hood recently?”

  
The kid smirks. “The only idiot I’ve seen is you.”

  
“ _Harsh!_ ” Twilight laughs. “I didn’t get hurt on purpose!”

  
“Well, you either strayed too close to Hyrule Town, or a hunter was feeling brave. I’m thinking Hyrule Town, because wolves are rare here and most hunters avoid predators.”

  
“Is that the town nearby with all the soldiers in it?” Twilight asks. The kid nods.

  
“Yeah. It’s just north of here actually. That’s where Hyrule Castle is.” The kid narrows his eyes. “Which means you aren’t from around here.”

  
“Nope,” Twilight sighs. “You could say I’m from another world entirely.”

  
Hyrule Town doesn’t exist in his native kingdom. The Cub’s Hyrule is in a state of ruin, which means there are no soldiers of any sort aside from the ones controlled by what the Cub calls the Calamity. Twilight had been hoping that maybe he was just deep into the Ordona Province, beyond his village and where there was more civilization, but he knew that wouldn’t be the case.

  
Besides, Ordonians have round ears.

  
“I’d believe it,” the kid says. “You can literally turn into a wolf. That’s gotta be some kind of magic.”

  
“It is.” Twilight holds up the Shadow Crystal by the cord it’s tied to. “I don’t use a lot of magic, but this allows me to shift into a wolf when I need to.”

  
The kid studies the crystal for all of three seconds. “You use a demented pine cone to turn into a wolf?”

  
“Wha—?” Twilight splutters. “It’s not a _demented pine cone!_ It’s…” he glances at the Shadow Crystal. “It’s… Okay, yeah. It looks like a demented pine cone.”

  
How has he never noticed that?

  
“So who’s this idiot in blue you’re looking for?” The kid asks, and Twilight is extremely thankful that he hadn’t asked to touch it. “Because I might be able to help you, but I need a name.”

  
“His name is Link,” Twilight says. He immediately regrets it when the kid looks startled.

  
“Link? Huh.” He rocks on his heels again. It seems to be a habit of his.

  
“Don’t tell me,” Twilight sighs. “Your name is _also_ Link?”

  
“And if it is?” He stops rocking, tense. His eyes narrow in suspicion.

  
“Then you’re probably either on a journey to save a princess and the world, or you’re going to be soon. Either way, I’ve probably been sent here to help,” Twilight explains, choosing to be blunt for the sake of less confusion. This means the Cub no longer needs him, or at least Hylia seems to think so. That’s actually rather disappointing. Twilight knew their time together would end at some point, but he didn’t think it would be so soon.

  
But if Hylia _did_ send him here, why would she send him here while the Cub was presumably being attacked, and drop him in a _town_ as a _wolf?_ Nothing is adding up.

  
“I’ve already been on three journeys,” Link says, snapping Twilight from his thoughts. “And it’s been almost three years since my last one. Unless there’s another “great evil” aside from Ganondorf, who is currently sealed in that sword over there—” he gestures to a sword not currently part of the pile on the floor—“and Vaati, who is dead, then there won’t be any crazy evil demons trying to take over the world.

  
“And furthermore, why did you assume there was going to be a threat? And why are you telling me, specifically, about this?” Link is holding one of the many swords in his hands. He hasn’t relaxed from his tense stance, and the suspicion is still gleaming in his eyes.

  
“Because that was the reason I was with Link—the _other_ Link, I mean.” Twilight holds up his hands in a sign of peace. “I’m not here to start trouble.”

  
“Why should I believe you?”

  
Before Twilight can answer, he hears two shouts come from outside. Link’s eyes flick over to the door, but he doesn’t move.

  
One of the voices is cursing and… threatening to break a harp? Twilight can’t hear very well through the walls of the house—even with his heightened senses—but that’s certainly what it sounds like. Link scowls, jabbing a finger at Twilight.

  
“Stay there. You have some explaining to do.”

  
Twilight doesn’t get the chance to reply, as Link is already storming out of the house. He rolls his eyes and follows, ignoring the glare sent his way when Link registers his footsteps.

  
“I’m not running,” Twilight clarifies. “I’m curious.”

  
“And injured.” But Link doesn’t send him away. A good sign.

  
He opens the door, and they peer outside, spotting two boys illuminated by the moon in Link’s yard. One is sitting, eyes wide and hands clearly shaking. The other is pacing in a circle, fingers running through his hair and cursing up a storm.

  
“…piece of _shit!_ That fucking harp has been _nothing_ but trouble since I’ve gotten it and now I’m fucking traveling into the _future_ and that _fucking Goddess_ better have a _damn_ good reason for this _bullshit!_ Mother _fucker!_ ”

  
“I reckon that one is pretty angry,” Twilight mutters. Link snorts.

  
“Really? I would have never guessed.”


	2. He is Me, and I am You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ _You_ were asleep,” Hyrule corrects quietly, eyes not leaving the steaming mug in his hands. Despite the tea, he still looks to be on edge; shoulders tense and eyes wary. Legend turns to him, looking ready to berate his companion.
> 
> “What happened?” Four asks before Legend can open his mouth. Hyrule sighs, practically curling up in a ball on the chair and hiding his face behind the mug. He rests a hand on his abdomen again.
> 
> “A shadow,” He murmurs. “It went to attack us, but then we were here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Graphic Injury  
> It’s finally finished. This chapter was _rough_  
>  But it’s finished.  
> I hope you enjoy!

“You said you were sent here to help. You’re gonna help me with these two, right?” Link asks, staring at the strangers in his yard.

  
“You were a hair away from pointing that sword at me just now,” Twilight replies, leaning against the doorframe beside him.

  
“It’s sheathed.”

  
“It’s still a sword.”

  
The cursing boy has stopped pacing, choosing to glare up at the starry sky instead. The other is still on the ground, staring at the forest.

  
Link steps outside “Can I ask what you’re doing on my property?” The boys turn to look at him and Twilight, hands flying to the swords strapped to their backs.

  
“We’re a little… lost,” the boy on the ground replies in a shaky voice.

  
“That’s not what your friend was saying a few seconds ago,” Twilight remarks, keeping an eye on their hands. They haven’t drawn their swords… yet. “I heard something about traveling to the future?”

  
“That doesn’t matter,” the first boy snaps. “We’re still lost, one way or another.”

  
“I can give you directions?” Link opens the door wider. “I have a map inside.”

  
“I don’t think that will be much help,” the second boy mutters. The first boy looks down at his companion.

  
“Of course a map will help!”

  
“But we’re lost in time, Legend. Who knows how far along we are now!”

  
“Hang on, lost in _time_?” Link gawks.

  
The first boy, apparently named Legend, lets out a loud sigh. “If you’re willing to believe anything coming out of my mouth, then yes. _Lost in time_ , as my companion blurted out!”

  
“ _What_.”

  
“Sorry,” Legend’s companion mutters with a sheepish grin. Twilight notes that he looks rather spooked, eyes flitting to the ground and back up again.

  
“I blame Hylia,” Legend adds, ignoring Link’s stupor.

  
“Wait,” Twilight butts in, mind whirling and connecting the dots, “Did you two just get here?”

  
Legend eyes him, not bothering to hide his suspicion. “Yes.”

  
“As in, you just _woke up here_ , right?”  
Legend narrows his eyes. “Yes.”

  
“And your name is Link?”

  
“And if it is?” Legend looks a second away from drawing his sword and lunging at him. Twilight turns to Link, who is now aiming his stupor at him.

  
“Do you believe me now?” Twilight asks with a grin. He looks back to Legend, who is now sporting his own confused look. “I also just randomly woke up in this place, except I was in the town just north of here.” When Legend gazes at his bandages, Twilight scratches the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. “There was a miscommunication with the guards.”

  
Legend relaxes, but the suspicion doesn’t fade. His companion hasn’t said a word, still sitting on the ground and staring at nothing. A hand rests on his abdomen.

  
“I take it your name is _also_ Link?” Legend asks carefully. Twilight nods and gestures to Link beside him, who looks to be having some sort of crisis at this point. He feels bad for the kid.

  
“Him too.”

  
“What. The hell. Is going. _On?_ ” Link hisses. “Are we _all_ named Link?”

  
Legend jabs a thumb at his companion. “Yup. He’s Link as well. I just call him Hyrule, and he calls me Legend.”

  
Link turns to Twilight. “Yes. I believe you now.”

* * *

  
  
Link manages to corral Legend and Hyrule—odd nicknames, but Twilight can’t exactly judge—into the house and gets them seated at the table. He shoves another potion into Twilight’s hands and promptly ignores his protests by handing Hyrule a cup of tea.

  
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” is his explanation, before he turns to Twilight. “You finish that, or your injuries take longer to heal and you risk infection, which will only drain _more_ of my potions.”

  
Twilight grumbles but does as Link says. He’ll just leave an orange rupee behind as payment later.

  
“So,” Legend starts, leaning forward. Twilight doesn’t miss the hand he places on Hyrule’s shoulder. “You two need to come up with nicknames, or this is going to get confusing _really_ quickly.”

  
“You mean it’s not already confusing?” Link snarks.

  
“More confusing,” Legend amends.

  
“Well,” Twilight begins. “I, luckily, already have a nickname. Just call me Twilight.”

  
“How romantic,” Legend drawls. “Where does that name come from?”

  
“I just happen to really love the twilight,” He replies. That much is true.

  
“So you go with that?”

  
“Your nickname is _Legend_. I’m doing better than you.”

  
“Hey! I’m the _Hero_ of Legend! And I didn’t even choose to have that as my nickname!”

  
“How about you?” Hyrule interrupts, looking to Link, who twiddles his thumbs.

  
“Uh…” he looks around, searching for something. His eyes land on a sheathed sword resting against the wall. “I wield the Four Sword, so I guess I’ll go with Four.”

  
“… Four?” Twilight asks.

  
“A number?” Hyrule utters.

  
Link, or Twilight guesses _Four_ , jabs a finger at him. “You’re named after the kingdom.” He moves his gaze to Legend, “Your name translates to ‘glorified story’.” Legend splutters indignantly as Four looks to Twilight, “And you’re named after a time of day. I don’t think a number is nearly as far-fetched as you all are making it out to be.”

  
“My name does _not_ mean ‘glorified story’!” Legend shouts.

  
“You’re right,” Four agrees. “It actually translates to ‘traditional story’. My mistake.”

  
“Why _you_ — “

  
“Alright, alright,” Twilight chuckles. “Let’s save the squabbling for later. Legend, what’s the last thing you two remember before you woke up here?”

  
Legend, after sending a smirking Four a filthy glare, answers, “We were asleep in an inn.”

  
“ _You_ were asleep,” Hyrule corrects quietly, eyes not leaving the steaming mug in his hands. Despite the tea, he still looks to be on edge; shoulders tense and eyes wary. Legend turns to him, looking ready to berate his companion.

  
“What happened?” Four asks before Legend can open his mouth. Hyrule sighs, practically curling up in a ball on the chair and hiding his face behind the mug. He rests a hand on his abdomen again.

  
“A shadow,” He murmurs. “It went to attack us, but then we were here.”

  
“A shadow?” Twilight perks up, “That happened to me as well.”

  
Hyrule doesn’t reply, looking far too uncomfortable with the current subject. Twilight sees his hands start to tremble, spilling a couple droplets of tea. Legend takes the mug from his hand and sets it on the table. Hyrule leans on his friend and Legend, much to Twilight’s surprise, lets him, even scooting a little closer. Twilight thought Legend would be more of a “don’t touch me if you want to keep your hands” kind of guy.

  
“Wanna talk about it?” Four asks.

  
“I’ve fought a shadow before,” Hyrule mumbles. He doesn’t say anything else.

  
Four nods. “I have as well. But I have not seen any of them around recently.”

  
“So, is it possible this shadow might be the one pulling the strings?” Twilight asks, trying to take the attention off Hyrule. “Because the only one who has not seen it recently is Four, and he lives in this… kingdom? Time period?”

  
“Either works.” Legend shrugs. “And maybe? I didn’t see one before I wound up in Hyrule’s time, but then again, I was probably asleep that time too.”

  
“Hyrule, Four, you two have fought shadows before. What do—” Twilight freezes, staring at the red eyes gleaming behind Legend and Hyrule. A murky, shapeless form lingers in the corner of the room, wispy black tendrils floating from its corporeal body. The red eyes give off no light yet seem to shine in the beacon of darkness.

  
“What do… what? What do they know? Legend asks in a seemingly nonchalant tone, but Twilight can see the way he is tense in his chair. Hyrule’s eyes are wide as he senses the sudden change in the air, and he can hear Four’s breath stutter from beside him.

  
“Yeah,” Twilight continues, trying to copy Legend’s tone. “What do you two know about their attack patterns?”

  
“Well,” Four replies, “They are tricksters, for one. They like to play around before they really begin the fight, at least in my experience. They tend to be sneaky.”

  
Legend mouths, “ _Behind me?_ ”

  
Four takes a moment to ponder, before nodding and adding, “And they also like to mimic you.”

  
Twilight blinks, and the shadow is gone. He blinks again, wondering if his senses are merely playing tricks on him because of the potions, when he hears a whoosh of air and a scream.

  
Legend is on his feet in an instant, the blade of a hookshot flying across the table to embed itself in the shadow with a distorted thunk. Twilight whips around and sees Four hanging off a dark blade protruding from his chest, mouth open in a silent scream and hands scrabbling to dislodge the weapon. Twilight snarls as pure fury bubbles up, overflowing his senses and rational thought. He lunges at the shadow, surprised to find it somewhat solid. Its shapeless form feels oddly pliant yet sturdy against his fists as Twilight barrels it over. He tries to claw at its eyes when the punching is rendered ineffective, and the shadow copies his movements, nails raking down his face.

  
Only when Twilight is knocked away with blood dripping into his eyes does Legend reel in the hookshot, his shouts lost to Twilight in favor of the pain and adrenaline making itself known. Hyrule pounces when the shadow is right in front of Legend, a silver blade with red jewels on the hilt swinging at what they assumed to be its head. It dissipates into smoke accompanied by faint laughter as soon as the blade meets it, and just as quickly as it appeared, the shadow is gone.

  
Four, on the other hand, still has a sword in his chest. He is on the floor, harsh, labored breaths intertwined with the sound of one choking on their own blood. Pure fury turns to unadulterated panic.

  
“Fuck!” Legend yells, dropping his hookshot and sprinting around the table to kneel beside him. Twilight’s hands hover over Four, unsure of how to proceed. Removing the sword will let the blood flow freely and kill him. Leaving it in will _also_ kill him.

  
“ _Move!_ ” Hyrule all but shoves them aside. He observes Four for all of two seconds before turning to Twilight. “Hold him up in a seated position but do it as gently as possible. Keep him from kicking.” He orders, then turns to Legend, “When Twilight has done that, you hold his arms.”

  
Twilight complies, but not without asking, “What are we going to do about the sword?”

  
“We’re going to remove it,” Hyrule answers, digging through one of his pouches strapped to his belt. He withdraws several small red bottles.  
Four lets out another shriek as Twilight moves him. The kid struggles, but his laceration has left him weak. Twilight murmurs a hushed apology as Legend grabs his arms and holds him up. Twilight wraps his hands around Four’s ankles. Hyrule moves behind him, grasping the hilt of the sword sticking out of his body.

  
They all flinch when Hyrule pulls the sword out with a sickening wet sound that Twilight cannot even begin to describe, but nothing compares to the bone-chilling screams coming from Four as he does so. He writhes in Twilight’s hold, blood flooding from the hole in his chest and staining his white tunic. Hyrule discards the sword without a second thought, pressing his hands against Four’s back.

  
“What are you doing?” Legend cries.

  
“Keep him still!” Hyrule yells.

  
A white light emits from his hands. It surrounds Hyrule and Four, whose writhing settles into whimpering and twitching as soon as the light touches him. Twilight watches as the gaping void in Four’s chest begins to slowly knit itself back together.

  
“P-potion,” Hyrule gasps. Twilight scrambles to his side, picking up one of the bottles and holding it to Hyrule’s mouth. He drains it in a matter of seconds, and Twilight is quick to hold up another.

  
“Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it,” Legend shouts. “It’s working!”

  
Hyrule grunts in reply, breathing heavily through his nose with flushed cheeks. He drains three more potions in what feels like torturous hours but is more likely a mere minute. When Twilight can barely see the wound, Hyrule’s eyes roll back into his head and he collapses to the floor. Four slumps into Legends arms, eerily silent as Legend scrambles to check him. Alarmed, Twilight tries shaking Hyrule awake, but gives up when Hyrule doesn’t even react. Unconscious.

  
“He’s breathing,” Legend says, and Twilight looks back to see him laying Four out on his side. Four looks pained, but significantly less so compared to the agony from a few minutes ago. “He still has the injury, but it’s more like two shallow cuts than anything.”

  
“Are you okay?” Twilight asks, moving toward Legend with the intent to find even the smallest wound.

  
“You kidding? I’m the only one who’s actually _functional_ right now. Are _you_ okay?”

  
“I’m functional,” He mutters in protest, and Legend gives him an unimpressed glare. He sighs. “Yes, I’m alright. I think I reopened something, but I’m alright.”  
Four whines, grabbing their attention once more.

  
“I’ll grab the gauze,” Twilight murmurs shakily.

  
Legend forces him into a chair before he can so much as take a step.

* * *

  
  
After removing Four’s ruined shirt and wrapping the injuries up—and having Legend nearly pin him to the chair to rewrap his own injuries—Twilight is finally left with nothing to do except confront his thoughts.

  
And boy, is it a _mess_.

  
The shadow is behind this. Twilight is _positive_ now. The shadow is trying to kill them. He doesn’t know why, but that doesn’t matter right now. The blade lies on the ground where Hyrule had tossed it, the steel covered in dried blood. It somehow looks as pristine as a newly crafted sword, and the thought makes Twilight sick to his stomach. That sword had been used to harm Four, a kid he barely knows, yet feels so drawn to. Not to mention, a _kid_. He briefly wonders if the Cub is okay.

  
Fear seizes him. Is the shadow the one teleporting them across time? Or is another entity doing that while the shadow hunts them? Are there more people like him being pursued? Have any been outright attacked by the shadow and fatally wounded like Four had been? It feels like a hand is squeezing his heart, chasing away any coherent thoughts and leaving him paralyzed as his mind whirls and whirls and—

  
Hyrule jerks awake and sits up with a gasp. He nearly falls off the table he is sitting on, only saved by Legend catching his arm. That boy is fast.

  
“Wha—what happened?” Hyrule slurs, eyes unfocused and body swaying from side to side. Twilight stands and joins Legend in supporting him.

  
“You used a stupid amount of magic, but saved Four’s life,” Legend replies in both a prideful yet reprimanding tone. Hyrule takes a moment to process the words, but he then gives Legend a wobbly smile in return.

  
“Good…” Hyrule sways for another moment before going limp in their hold.

Legend sighs and waves Twilight away. He slowly lays Hyrule back down beside Four, who looks hauntingly peaceful considering what had just happened to him.

  
“He’ll be out for a while,” Legend remarks. “I’ll bet he will be asleep longer than Four. His natural magic plus four potion’s worth in the span of maybe two minutes? I’m surprised he’s not in a coma.”

  
“I’m just happy they’re both alright,” Twilight replies. _For now_ , he mentally adds.

  
“You felt it too, right?”

  
“Hm?” Twilight turns to Legend, who appears to be torn between fuming with rage and worrying himself sick.

  
“That pull?” Legend continues, waving a hand in the space between them. “When Four got stabbed, and when Hyrule passed out? When you tried to check up on _me_ while you had that gash of yours reopened?”

  
Now that Legend mentions it…

  
The panic that gripped him when he saw the sword in Four’s chest, it was all too similar to when Ilia had been shot with an arrow all those years ago. When the children had disappeared without a trace. When the Cub woke up screaming and raising his shield to deflect a beam that wasn’t there.

  
When Ganondorf crushed the Fused Shadow in his hand.

  
“Because I’ve only ever felt that pull with two other people,” Legend continues, watching Twilight slowly put the pieces together. “And then, I meet you three.” He leans forward, and, through gritted teeth, he hisses, “I don’t get attached to people. I don’t _like_ people. And I’m about ready to fight Hylia and the Three Golden Goddesses to make sure you three stay alive.”

  
Legend had described it as a pull. Twilight would describe it as a feeling he is all too familiar with.

  
But where had it come from? Two hours— _maybe_ three—have passed by since he first woke up in the town. They are barely more than strangers at this point, and yet Twilight shares the same sentiments as Legend. He had thrown himself at the shadow without a thought as to what it could have done to him. The Hero’s Shade would be _furious_.

  
But Twilight regrets none of it. He only regrets not realizing what was going to happen when he first saw the shadow.

  
And he knows that Legend is telling the truth. Twilight saw how he stuck close to Hyrule; how he immediately sprung into action when Four was stabbed with an urgency saved for those important to you. When he was treating Twilight, his words had been gruff, but his hands had been careful.

  
“I know exactly how you feel,” Twilight replies. “I felt it too.” He glances at their unconscious companions. Legend crosses his arms, blue eyes burning with a fierceness that reminds him of a certain princess.

  
“So, what’s the plan?” Legend asks.

  
“I think our top priority is to make sure these two heal, and then figure out how to make a shadow bleed,” Twilight responds.

  
Legend smirks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’know, half of this chapter wasn’t even in my original draft. I rewrote this one at least five times.  
> But, I did it!  
> And oh _god_ I’m terrible. This was supposed to be fluffy, but it’s not and whoooops.  
> I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
